With the increase in sunshine, there has been an increase in longboarders all around campus.

Longboarding is growing in popularity, according to freshman Hanna Fleming.

“I’ve seen more people out than I have ever [seen before],” she said.

Fleming describes longboarding as an offseason alternative to snowboarding. “I prefer longboarding to skateboarding. It reminds me more of snowboarding.”

Walking from the PUB to the Communications Building takes four to five minutes, while riding on a longboard takes Fleming a 1 1/2 to two minutes.

Freshman Nathaniel Koch commented on how it bothers him that there are bricks everywhere, and that it makes it harder to board. “People can hear you from 100 feet away.”

“People are mean. They jump in front of you on purpose,” said freshman Helena Mazzola.

Another hazard to riding a longboard on campus is that there are squirrels everywhere.

“They just stand there, and you kind of play chicken with them,” said Fleming.

“There’s a lot of people [on campus], and it’s fun to weave in between them,” said Fleming. But, some people on campus do not like it when longboarders weave in between them, according to Koch.

“Longboarders don’t bother me if they are respectful of the walkways and pedestrians,” junior and communication studies major Madalyn Chau said. “Honestly, I wish I longboarded because I’d get to class faster with the wind blowing in my hair.”

Concerning tips for beginning boarders, Fleming suggests to not start off with a super long board because they turn a lot slower and it’s a lot harder to control.

“Just be in a comfortable spot where you have things to grab onto for balance. Even standing on it in the grass [helps]. Move your feet to feel the flex and get used to the bearings of the trucks. Know how far you need to lean in order to turn before you actually go,” said Fleming.

“Don’t try and stop because you’ll fall. The only way to stop is to drag your foot and if you drag your foot you’ll probably fall,” said Koch.

Also, beginners should avoid huge groups of people, according to Mazzola.

The difference between skateboarding and longboarding is that skateboarding is more for tricks, while longboarding is more for cruising around, according to Fleming.

“I’ve met a lot of people through longboarding. It’s started a lot of conversations around boarding,” said Fleming.

Fleming would like to own her own board shop and have her own line of boards in Australia or Hawaii.

Both Fleming and Koch agree that there should be a longboarding club on campus. “We should bomb hills every Wednesday,” said Koch.

“I want there to be a longboarding club because when you have a huge group of six or seven of you guys all going together it’s so much fun because you own the street for a second. It’s a cool feeling. If you were to fall you [also] have all these people [there] for you,” said Fleming.

Koch prefers longboarding down hills to cruising around. “I like longboarding because you can get an adrenaline rush.”